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Unit 104 · Adjectives and adverbs

Quite, pretty, rather and fairly

Study

A

Quite and pretty are similar in meaning (= less than ‘very’, but more than ‘a little’):

›

I’m surprised you haven’t heard of her. She’s quite famous. or She’s pretty famous.

(= less than ‘very famous’, but more than ‘a little famous’)

›

Anna lives quite near me, so we see each other pretty often.

Pretty is an informal word and is used mainly in spoken English.

Quite goes before a/an:

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We live in quite an old house. (not a quite old house)

Compare:

›

Sarah has quite a good job.

›

Sarah has a pretty good job.

You can also use quite (but not pretty) in the following ways:

quite a/an + noun (without an adjective):

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I didn’t expect to see them. It was quite a surprise. (= quite a big surprise)

quite a lot (of …):

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There were quite a lot of guests at the wedding.

quite + verb, especially like and enjoy:

›

I quite like tennis, but it’s not my favourite sport.

B

Rather is similar to quite and pretty. We often use rather for negative ideas (things we think are not good):

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The weather isn’t so good. It’s rather cloudy.

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Paul is rather shy. He doesn’t talk very much.

Quite is also possible in these examples.

When we use rather for positive ideas (good/nice etc.), it means ‘unusually’ or ‘surprisingly’:

›

These oranges are rather good. Where did you get them?

C

Fairly is weaker than quite/rather/pretty. For example, if something is fairly good, it is not very good and it could be better:

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My room is fairly big, but I’d prefer a bigger one.

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We see each other fairly often, but not as often as we used to.

D

Quite also means ‘completely’. For example:

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‘Are you sure?’ ‘Yes, quite sure.’ (= completely sure)

Quite means ‘completely’ with a number of adjectives, especially:

sure right true clear different incredible amazing
certain wrong safe obvious unnecessary extraordinary impossible
›

She was quite different from what I expected. (= completely different)

›

Everything they said was quite true. (= completely true)

We also use quite (= completely) with some verbs. For example:

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I quite agree with you. (= I completely agree)

not quite = not completely:

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I don’t quite understand what you mean.

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‘Are you ready yet?’ ‘Not quite.’ (= not completely)

Compare the two meanings of quite:

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The story is quite interesting. (= less than ‘very interesting’)

›

The story is quite true. (= completely true)

Exercises (5)

0/5 exercises checked
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104.1

Complete the sentences using quite … . Choose from these words.

famoushungrylatenoisyoftenoldsurprised
  1. 1
    I’m surprised you haven’t heard of her. She’s quite .example
  2. 2
    I’m . Is there anything to eat?
  3. 3
    We go to the cinema – maybe once a month.
  4. 4
    We live near a very busy road, so it’s often .
  5. 5
    I didn’t expect Lisa to contact me. I was when she phoned.
  6. 6
    I went to bed last night, so I’m a bit tired this morning.
  7. 7
    I don’t know exactly when this house was built, but it’s .
104.2

Put the words in the right order to complete the sentences.

  1. 1
    The weather was better than we had expected.
    It was (a / nice / quite / day).example
  2. 2
    Tom likes to sing.
    He has (voice / quite / good / a).
  3. 3
    The bus stop wasn’t near the hotel.
    We had to walk (quite / way / a / long).
  4. 4
    It’s not so warm today.
    There’s (a / wind / cold / pretty).
  5. 5
    The roads were busy.
    There was (lot / traffic / a / of / quite).
  6. 6
    I’m tired.
    I’ve had (pretty / day / a / busy).
  7. 7
    Sarah hasn’t been working here long.
    She (fairly / started / recently).
104.3

Use your own ideas to complete these sentences. Use rather + adjective.

  1. 1
    The weather isn’t so good. It’s .example
  2. 2
    I enjoyed the film, but it was .
  3. 3
    Chris went away without telling anybody, which was .
  4. 4
    Lucy doesn’t like having to wait. Sometimes she’s .
  5. 5
    They have some lovely things in this shop, but it’s .
104.4

What does quite mean in these sentences? Tick (✓) the right meaning.

  1. 1
    It’s quite cold. You need a coat. example
  2. 2
    ‘Are you sure?’ ‘Yes, quite sure.’ example
  3. 3
    Anna’s English is quite good.
  4. 4
    I couldn’t believe it. It was quite incredible.
  5. 5
    My bedroom is quite big.
  6. 6
    I’m quite tired. I think I’ll go to bed.
  7. 7
    I quite agree with you.
104.5

Complete these sentences using quite … . Choose from:

differentimpossiblerightsafesuretrue
  1. 1
    I didn’t believe her at first, but in fact what she said was .example
  2. 2
    You won’t fall. The ladder is .
  3. 3
    I’m afraid I can’t do what you ask. It’s .
  4. 4
    I completely agree with you. You are .
  5. 5
    You can’t compare the two things. They are .
  6. 6
    I think I saw them go out, but I’m not .